hiPSC for assessing the potential health risks of environmental health

With the advent of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can be differentiated into cardiac cells and endothelial cells, investigation of e-cigarette smoking-related cardiovascular dysfunction with distinct human genetic background becomes feasible. A major focus of our research is to elucidate the genetic impact on the initiation and development of e-cigarette smoking-related cardiovascular dysfunction at the cellular level.

We focus on identifying biomarkers of acute and persistent radiation injury and understanding the influence of radiation on exosome-mediated intercellular communication. Specifically, we are interested in identifying early and delayed radiation signatures in irradiated animals and in vitro platform using iPSCs generated from patients.